.22-250

Rifter

Does anybody here use .22-250? Do you find it expensive? Whats it like with a mod?

Im interested in oicking one up for foxes, yes I know .223 is more popular!!

Any feedback greatly appreciated!!

Uinseann_16

Itd be as cheap to shoot a .243 did you ever consider one instead of the .22-250 itll be easier to find ammo.

Rifter

Uinseann_16 wrote: »

Itd be as cheap to shoot a .243 did you ever consider one instead of the .22-250 itll be easier to find ammo.

I have a .308, don't think the super will give me a .243 for foxes tbh

Uinseann_16

.22-250=Deer legal caliber
.243=Deer legal caliber
Dont see much difference myself but i see how a super sees a 22-250 as a small caliber, You could argue you use the 308 for Reds you want a 243 for fallow,goats foxes etc..
What about a .223 (relatively)cheap, readily available ammo more than enough for the auld sionnach:p

Rifter

Uinseann_16 wrote: »

.22-250=Deer legal caliber
.243=Deer legal caliber
Dont see much difference myself but i see how a super sees a 22-250 as a small caliber, You could argue you use the 308 for Reds you want a 243 for fallow,goats foxes etc..
What about a .223 (relatively)cheap, readily available ammo more than enough for the auld sionnach:p

I know .22-250 is considered a "deer caliber" based in the threshold set down by NPWS but it was designed as a "varmint" caliber. I like its ballistics vs .223, I know they're cheaper to run.

I was considering one for foxes, tbh .223 was going to be my fallback if the Super refused based on the "deer caliber" perception.

Uinseann_16

Rifter wrote: »

I know .22-250 is considered a "deer caliber" based in the threshold set down by NPWS but it was designed as a "varmint" caliber. I like its ballistics vs .223, I know they're cheaper to run.

I was considering one for foxes, tbh .223 was going to be my fallback if the Super refused based on the "deer caliber" perception.

If your set on a .22-250 go for it but decent ammo is going to cost just as much as a .243 or .308

Hornady .223 will get you to 3465fps with a 53gr vmax(35 euro a box)
Muzzle = 3465fps 1413ft/lb -1.5"drop
100 yards = 3106fps 1135ft/lb 1.1"high
200 yards = 2775fps 906ft/lb 0"
300 yards = 2468fps 716ft/lb -5.6"drop
400 yards = 2180fps 559ft/lb -16.9"drop
500 yards = 1913fps 431ft/lb -35.6"drop

Hornady .22-250 will get you 3680 fps with a 55gr vmax(35 euro a box)
Muzzle =3680fps 1654ft/lb -1.5"drop
100 yards =3253fps 1292ft/lb 0.9"high
200 yards =2867fps 1003ft/lb 0"
300 yards =2511fps 770ft/lb -5.2"drop
400 yards =2183fps 582ft/lb -15.9"drop
500 yards =1880fps 432ft/lb -33.9"drop

Your really not gaining alot IMO, those rounds look very similar especially by the time they get to 500 yards
Yes the .22-250 has superior ballistics than the .223 but you cannot take full advantage of that without reloading. With commercial ammo your better off with a .223 you can buy cheaper ammo for plinking or target shooting and use more expensive ammo for varminting and lose very little against the .22-250 and if distance is a issue you've got a .308;)
My 2 cents:pac:

cookimonster

You will most likely find yourself in the same situation regards suitable land permission and a DHL when applying for a .22-250.

Half-cocked

I have a Howa 1500 in .22-250 calibre. Great for foxes. But expect to pay €1 to €1.20 per shot. And ammo supply can be patchy. When you do find a supply of ammo, buy load of it.

I get a deer license every year with it. Some years NPWS require a 60gr bullet, other years a 55gr. But it's not a great choice if you're planning a lot of stalking.

Rifter

Half-cocked wrote: »

I have a Howa 1500 in .22-250 calibre. Great for foxes. But expect to pay €1 to €1.20 per shot. And ammo supply can be patchy. When you do find a supply of ammo, buy load of it.

I get a deer license every year with it. Some years NPWS require a 60gr bullet, other years a 55gr. But it's not a great choice if you're planning a lot of stalking.

I have a .308 for deer and target shooting!
1 to 1.20 isn't bad per shot, when you say patchy do you mean certain dealers woukdnt have it?, or it can be hard to find it countrywide?

Half-cocked

Rifter wrote: »

I have a .308 for deer and target shooting!
1 to 1.20 isn't bad per shot, when you say patchy do you mean certain dealers woukdnt have it?, or it can be hard to find it countrywide?

Often not in stock and when in, usually small amounts. Not an issue unless you're planning on doing a lot of shooting with it. It's a pain having to re-zero because you've had to change ammo due to supply problems.

gunny123

When i was shooting a lot of foxes over 25 years ago, the only calibres were the .22lr, .22mag and the .22 hornet. The .22-250 was for deer only. Everyone was praying for the ptb to loosen up and allow the .222, and .223 to licenced for foxing. They were even dodgy about letting the .17 rem out, as that rounds case is a .223 necked down.

I do have to laugh a bit when i see now, when the .223 is easily available, people looking for the the .22-250 for foxes.

cookimonster

This is as useful as a tits on a boar, but if you could reload here the 22-250 would be the dog bollocxx for foxing. It is still a fairly popular round in the states for coyote and other fur bearing vermin for its flat trajectory.

Uinseann_16

cookimonster wrote: »

This is as useful as a tits on a boar, but if you could reload here the 22-250 would be the dog bollocxx for foxing. It is still a fairly popular round in the states for coyote and other fur bearing vermin for its flat trajectory.

Same goes for the .220 Swift:P

Ghost.

I think if you have you have your heart set on a 22-250 go for it. And I'd try get a decent second hand one. I'd say you should be able to get a nice clean one for small enough money. It and the swift are awesome rounds on fox.

I'm no whiz at the ballistics lark and im sure numbers can be crunched that makes the 22-250 appear similar in performance to the 223. But in my experience there is a very noticeable difference in the field. And if this bit of extra performnace is what you are looking for it does come at an additional cost. Sure a 223 will make a fox just as dead. But so will a 22 hornet. But if you want the best performing tool for the job the 22-250 is hard to beat.

As has been said ammo can be a little more expensive than 223 and you can't reload to get the really best performance from the round. But also consider that a 22-250 will suffer more in resale value than say a 223. If none of the above bother you then I say go for it.

But if you settle for a 223 you might be just as happy. If I was you I would try get out fox shooting with somebody that has a 22-250 And see first hand if it's worth it. You can't beat first hand experience. But it really is an great round for fox.

Uinseann_16

Ghost. wrote: »

I think if you have you have your heart set on a 22-250 go for it. And I'd try get a decent second hand one. I'd say you should be able to get a nice clean one for small enough money. It and the swift are awesome rounds on fox.

I'm no whiz at the ballistics lark and im sure numbers can be crunched that makes the 22-250 appear similar in performance to the 223. But in my experience there is a very noticeable difference in the field. And if this bit of extra performnace is what you are looking for it does come at an additional cost. Sure a 223 will make a fox just as dead. But so will a 22 hornet. But if you want the best performing tool for the job the 22-250 is hard to beat.

As has been said ammo can be a little more expensive than 223 and you can't reload to get the really best performance from the round. But also consider that a 22-250 will suffer more in resale value than say a 223. If none of the above bother you then I say go for it.

But if you settle for a 223 you might be just as happy. If I was you I would try get out fox shooting with somebody that has a 22-250 And see first hand if it's worth it. You can't beat first hand experience. But it really is an great round for fox.

The problem is cheap 22-250 is loaded anemically(a problem the swift has too) making barely any noticeable difference between a 22-250 and a .223 , Now with thats said with decent ammo yes a 22-250 has quite a significant difference and advantage but a .243 will beat the 22-250 and they cost the same to shoot;)
Like you said the .223 will hold its value better than the 22-250 but at the end of the day buy whatever you want try the .22-250 and if ya want to change it down the road you can Best of luck with whatever you choose rifter:D

solarwinds

Was looking at one a good number of years ago but decided against it. It is a brilliant round by all accounts but what put me off in the end was barrel life and throat erossion, if i was buying new no problem but there was a lot of second hand ones around at the time. .223 became availabe around the same time so I got that instead.

Rifter

Thanks for all the replies, ill have a think about it!!

ejg

Some factory ammo is very slow compared to box value. I have measured 223 50gr under 2950fps, highest 50gr 223 was around 3150fps with a 20" barrel. Also 243 factory ammo was very low with a 20" barrel. I have not measured 22-250 lately.
edi

Half-cocked

^^^^

I think the ammo manufacturers get their figures using 24"-26" barrels. Leaves the average user on the ground with quite a bit less than the stated values, given most of us would be using 20"-22" barrels.

ejg

Half-cocked wrote: »

^^^^

I think the ammo manufacturers get their figures using 24"-26" barrels. Leaves the average user on the ground with quite a bit less than the stated values, given most of us would be using 20"-22" barrels.

That is the problem, mostly it is not clear with what barrel length the speed is achieved. In one case (6.5x55) up to 29" barrel used for speed measurement by the ammo manufacturer.. numbers look nicer. Even so the differences between say 50gr 223 from the same rifle are huge as in over 200fps between different brands of factory ammo. For me the best investment was to get my own chrony.
edi

Half-cocked

ejg wrote: »

That is the problem, mostly it is not clear with what barrel length the speed is achieved. In one case (6.5x55) up to 29" barrel used for speed measurement by the ammo manufacturer.. numbers look nicer. Even so the differences between say 50gr 223 from the same rifle are huge as in over 200fps between different brands of factory ammo. For me the best investment was to get my own chrony.
edi

Bit like the car makers who strip a car right down to get unrealistic miles per gallon figures that no production model will ever achieve

gunny123

A genuinely good website, a bit wordy, so worth printing off the pages you to want to read is a worthwhile thing.


https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase.html

https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/.22-250.html

Walter Mittys Brother

Judging any calibre by what's written on the box, what's on utube, from a Google search or from internet experts who've probably never seen the round never mind fired it is pointless & a waste of time.

Try it yourself and see what you think. Plenty of lads will let you fire their rifle all you have to do is ask & be decent & cover the cost of the ammo.

leupold90

If you're set on a 22-250 go for it!
You should be able to pick one up for reasonable money.
I had one years ago and it's a cracking round. I've had a .223 and now a .204 - all will do the same job but there's just something about the 22-250.
The only drawback I'd see with a '250 might be trying to get rid of it or trade it in.